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[20:16] <MaidInvictus> It's a pleasant evening; the sun is setting and the moon is just becoming visible in the sky. The grass sways in a gentle breeze, and the birds are heading home for the night — animals frolic this way and that, and the nocturnals are just starting to wake up. And through one of these idyllic meadows, full of happy flowers who have had their fill of the sun for a day, and being tended by…
[20:16] <MaidInvictus> …the small, weak god of that particular meadow at this particular moment, races a fat magistrate and his soldiers. Something zips past the small god at high speeds, sending her onto her tush, and all the magistrate's men point. "There she goes", they yell! Oh, what a chase. What fun! But who is this running creature, and why is it running? These are things the small god wonders, as…
[20:16] <MaidInvictus> …she rubs her bruised tushy and laments the flowers being crushed under the soldier's boots. Why couldn't they be as polite as the running creature, who passes without a trace? Who is she, anyway?
[20:20] * Xomko has joined #CurtainCall
[20:20] <Xomko> Is it game time already?
[20:20] <Kiraya_Liyos> roll e1 test
[20:21] <Xomko> Exalt Kiraya_Liyos rolled bupkis : [5]
[20:24] * Kiraya_Liyos is streaking eastwards, trailing fragments of burned cloth as she endeavors to break contact. She's covered in dirt, grass, and more suspicious brown stains, she's running for her life, and despite everything, part of her is enjoying this.
[20:28] <MaidInvictus> The soldiers definitely aren't having fun — they're falling behind, but you can hear them yelling after you as you run. "After her! Don't let her get to the forest! We'll never catch her there!" A few spears are chucked, but they fal lshort of their target, embedding in the ground behind the streaking champion.
[20:33] * Kiraya_Liyos laughs to herself, puts her head down, and pushes herself harder. "Should learn when to give up. Know this… place like the… back of my hand." Kiraya skips lightly over fallen trees and tangled underbrush, picking and choosing the most inhospitable terrain to cross for the soldiers in her wake.
[20:33] <Kiraya_Liyos> ((and just for fun, spending five motes to activate my anima effect and 2x movement for the scene))
[20:35] * Kiraya_Liyos doesn't so much head through obstacles as vault them entirely.
[20:37] <MaidInvictus> Our racing lunar massively outpaces the soldiers — most of them trip and fall, and the ones who don't have no chance of catching the young girl as she makes her way deeper into the forest. Eventually, you can't even hear them pursuing anymore, though you've got more than a few confused elementals looking at you as you race past. Though, a small bird — entirely mundane — seems to take…
[20:37] <MaidInvictus> …your speed as a challenge, and flies alongside you, trying to pull ahead. It wants a race! It darts off ahead, then takes a turn deeper into the forest.
[20:44] * Kiraya_Liyos slows her breakneck pace once she crosses into the forest and loses her immediate pursuit. Hitting a tree at that speed seems painful at best and fatal at worst, but she keeps hustling as she takes that same turn deeper into the woods.
[20:46] <MaidInvictus> You can see the bird just ahead! You're about to catch up to it… you just need one more burst of speed. It flits back and forth, taunting you! The little bastard!
[20:49] * Kiraya_Liyos prepares to pour on the speed for a lunge, then pauses. Why would a bird be taunting her?
[20:52] * Kiraya_Liyos knows it's not the strangest thing that's happened tonight, but there's something up.
[20:52] * Kiraya_Liyos keeps up her pursuit of the bird, as long as it continues away from the soldiers.
[21:01] <MaidInvictus> The bird darts through a wall of brush that you're pretty sure wasn't there before, and you leap through it shortly after. Stopping would be for the best, since you're now in an idyllic grotto — a pond sits in the center, reflecting the light of the full moon, and the trees form a perfect circle. There are three rock formations within the pool — one of a circle, filled with rocks. One…
[21:01] <MaidInvictus> …of a crescent… and one of an empty circle. The bird is nowhere to be seen.
[21:06] * Kiraya_Liyos casts a suspicious glance around the grotto before hurrying over to one of the pools. She doesn't remember ever hearing about anything resembling this place near her home, and it's almost like she's been led here.
[21:07] * Kiraya_Liyos kneels down by the pool, inspecting her reflection, and rubs her forehead with one trembling hand. 1"Thought I was glowing, for a moment there…"
[21:08] <MaidInvictus> When you look into the pool, you don't see your own reflection. You see a snake looking back at you, scales glistening in the moonlight as if it had just shed its skin for the first time. You feel your body change into the form you see there, but it's painless… pleasurable, even. When the change finishes, you can see another reflection in the pool; that of a silver-haired woman, hanging…
[21:08] <MaidInvictus> …over your shoulder and smiling.
[21:10] * Kiraya_Liyos thsssss, and tries to spin around, but ends up with a rather embarrassing flop
[21:12] <MaidInvictus> She giggles as you flop, and reaches down to brush your forehead gently — you can feel the spot where she touches burning, but it isn't painful. When she speaks, her voice is motherly, and you happen to notice that she's VERY pregnant — and also not touching the ground. "You mustn't turn your fangs on those you love, little one."
[21:17] * Kiraya_Liyos composes herself, coils up, and squishes very low to the ground. If she were human she'd be bowing in abject apology and crimson with embarrassment.
[21:21] <MaidInvictus> She shakes her head — she understands you implicitly, and her voice is soothing. "Don't apologize for following your nature. But you must only turn your fangs on those who tread on you, my dear. Don't let that which ails this world kill it." She leans forward, way forward, holding her pregnant stomach tenderly, and plants a brief kiss on your forehead — you feel refreshed, and if you…
[21:21] <MaidInvictus> …didn't have full essence or willpower, you do now. In addition, you feel the innate knowledge necessary to change your form. And finally, your anima flares to full very briefly, lighting up the grotto, and when the light fades, Luna is gone. You smell… something else, though.
[21:26] * Kiraya_Liyos uncoils, and slides back into human form, scales rippling back into flesh and blood, no longer a snake in the grass, but instead crouched on the edge of the pond. "I'm… that's… I'll do my best." She takes a deep breath, and glowers into the woods. "You can come out now. I know you're here."
[21:30] * Kiraya_Liyos is almost certainly looking the wrong way
[21:32] <MaidInvictus> The little bird you were chasing flits into the grotto, landing on the other side of the pool from you. Now that it's staying still, you notice a piece of its beak is conspicuously chipped off, but after a moment of preening itself, it transforms just as you did, shedding feathers to become a scruffy-looking man in a scruffy-looking poncho, seated cross-legged with a big grin on his face —…
[21:32] <MaidInvictus> …he's missing one canine, but that's completely unrelated to the bird that was here a minute ago. He doesn't say anything, just waits for you to notice.
[21:37] <Kiraya_Liyos> "Okay, fine. Be that way." 6Kiraya sighs, turns back around to the pond, and freezes. 1"Ha! I knew it! Who are you, why were you-what's going on- was that really just LUNA?"
[21:37] * Kiraya_Liyos bounces from one foot to the other
[21:38] <MaidInvictus> He tilts his head to the side as a gentle breeze blows through the grotto. "Was what really just Luna?"
[21:40] <Kiraya_Liyos> "You've got to be kidding me."
[21:41] * Kiraya_Liyos stalks around the pond to get a closer look at the scruffy man
[21:44] <MaidInvictus> He doesn't move. He smells like shenanigans. He's got silvery tattoos everywhere that you can see skin, which to be honest isn't much — he's got on what looks like basic traveling clothes underneath his voluminous and well-decorated poncho. After a moment of letting you inspect him, though, he turns and gets his face real close to yours. "Have you had your fill?"
[21:44] <Kiraya_Liyos> "C'mon. you have to know something about what's going on here. You don't just turn up like this after something like that without knowing something." Kiraya's voice gets more plaintive.
[21:46] * Kiraya_Liyos blinkblinks. "Fill of what?"
[21:47] <MaidInvictus> He shrugs. "I know many things. I know that anyone who claims to talk to Luna is a blasphemer, and I've been sent to put you down."
[21:49] * Kiraya_Liyos backpedals fast, shaking a finger at him. 1"oh, nono. It's not going to be like that. Piyeta had you ready just in case, didn't he? I'll do you the same way I did him if I have to."
[21:50] <MaidInvictus> He laughs, loudly and happily. He raises a hand, too, shaking it back and forth. "No, no, I couldn't resist, I'm just kidding. You did receive a vision from our shared mother, my friend, and my friends told me it would happen. I came to help you, you see."
[21:56] * Kiraya_Liyos halts, reddening. it seems a bit obvious, in hindsight. 1"So what do we do now? He's going to go call the wyld hunt, if I'm really a-anathema. Though if we move fast enough they might not be able to keep up."
[21:59] <MaidInvictus> "Oh, he's definitely going to call the Wyld Hunt. I know the Captain in the area, too, she's quite the fox. Do you really think you can outrun them for long, though?"
[22:02] * Kiraya_Liyos looks down. 1"No. Not without a lot of help."
[22:03] <MaidInvictus> "I'd be willing to help, for a price."
[22:04] * Kiraya_Liyos looks up sharply. 1"What kind of price?"
[22:06] <MaidInvictus> He raises a finger, and looks appropriately smug. "You must complete a task for me, here in these woods, and in return, I will ensure the Wyld Hunt does not catch you."
[22:09] * Kiraya_Liyos crosses her arms, and gnaws her lip despite her best efforts to conceal her worry. 1"So what's the task, then?"
[22:10] <MaidInvictus> "You must prove you are a child of Luna by hunting and catching an animal of my choosing, and returning with it here, to this secret grotto."
[22:13] * Kiraya_Liyos runs through the gamut of facial expressions before settling on resignation. "Deal."
[22:14] <MaidInvictus> He nods. "Very well. My choice is any animal that can be found in this forest. You have six hours, starting…" He stares at you.
[22:15] <Kiraya_Liyos> "Any animal found in this forest, huh?"
[22:15] * Kiraya_Liyos hmmms, and looks down into the pond
[22:22] <Kiraya_Liyos> roll e6 sacred hunt tracking time, for the heck of it
[22:22] <Xomko> Exalt Kiraya_Liyos botched! 1 botch : [6, 5, 5, 2, 2, 1]
[22:24] * Kiraya_Liyos sets off into the woods, with absolutely no idea what she's doing
[22:24] <MaidInvictus> There are too many conflicting smells~ you'll have to look manually.
[22:25] <MaidInvictus> It takes almost a full thirty minutes of aimless wandering, but eventually you hear something — some whimpering, like that of… a… dog? Why would there be a dog in the forest? You can easily find it based on its whimpering, but if you spook it, it might run.
[22:28] * Kiraya_Liyos slows to a stealthy creeping pace, checking she ground before she puts her foot down anywhere. Whatever it is, it can't be any more afraid than her.
[22:28] <Kiraya_Liyos> "C'mon… niiice doggie…"
[22:29] <MaidInvictus> As you come up on it, you manage to see it clearly — it's… it's a farm dog. A border collie, to be precise, no doubt lost in the woods. It seems to be doing rather well for itself, though — it's finding its way around the underbrush well enough, and though it is whimpering, it isn't afraid. It doesn't notice you just yet. You get the feeling that maybe you should watch it a bit…
[22:29] <MaidInvictus> …longer — if you leap now, it might just run.
[22:32] * Kiraya_Liyos crouches down and waits.
[22:34] <MaidInvictus> You feel like… you're on the cusp of understanding this animal, just watching how it adapts to its new environment. It's healthy — beautiful, really, you'd just about kill a man to get a dog like this back home. You just need a little… push. You feel like there's something missing. *Wits + Survival + 1wp if you'd like to sacred hunt this dog, you monster.*
[22:35] <Kiraya_Liyos> roll e6 and the 1 wp, I am monster
[22:35] <Xomko> Exalt Kiraya_Liyos rolled 1 success : [10, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1]
[22:36] <Kiraya_Liyos> ((oops. that's 2 successes))
[22:38] <MaidInvictus> After stalking the dog obsessively for what seems to be about an hour, you finally find the perfect time to pounce — and pounce you do! You strike, and the dog puts up a valiant effort, but eventually falls to your demigod might. That being said, all that stalking got you starving. You could just take a taste of the border collie. It's not like he said you couldn't eat it. Just a bite…
[22:39] <MaidInvictus> …should be fine.
[22:41] * Kiraya_Liyos is suddenly ravenous. She's been chased all over the woods all night by soldiers and angry dragonblooded, met luna, and now she's been running through the woods, again, in the dark of night and she hasn't had anything to eat since this morning.
[22:42] * Kiraya_Liyos thinks one bite, or two, or- well, it wouldn't hurt, right?
[22:44] <MaidInvictus> You just so happen to bite in the right place — you taste a very special kind of taste, and it is DELICIOUS. You feel… empowered! Absolutely empowered. A rush of memory and feeling floods into your mind — feelings of loyalty, of unconditional love… and pangs of regret, and a little bit of sadness. But most of all, you feel a bit of relief… then it all fades. You feel like you…
[22:44] <MaidInvictus> …understand the collie, now, and you're pretty sure that if you put your mind to it, you could turn into one. Perception + Awareness.
[22:46] <Kiraya_Liyos> roll !e2 I could have sworn I put points in that, but I guess I didn't
[22:46] <Xomko> Exalt Kiraya_Liyos rolled 1 success : [9, 6]
[22:46] <MaidInvictus> That's enough, for a lunar high on blood. You hear movement — a lot of movement. About twelve people worth of movement, in fact.
[22:52] * Kiraya_Liyos pauses, blood dripping down her chin. They're soldiers, of course. There's no reason anyone else would be moving through these woods this time of night.
[22:53] * Kiraya_Liyos shifts, muscle and bone flowing into a smaller, fuzzier form, and a collie slips through the underbrush back towards the grotto
[22:54] <MaidInvictus> You're… mostly correct. You see people in forest camouflage getting into position, most of them with bows. Two of them come to the forefront — one in a martial arts gi, the kind of stuff you've seen when monks come through town every so often. He's got white hair and big muscles, and he's got a big ol' sledge on his back. The other is clad in bright green armor, with a large bow in…
[22:54] <MaidInvictus> …his back. They're looking right at you, with disdain and disgust.
[22:56] * Kiraya_Liyos sidles to the side, looking for a clear shot to the woods beyond
[23:01] <MaidInvictus> Looks like they're quickly surrounding you. One of the immaculates steps forward. "Give up now, and we can make this painless, Anathema. Don't cost these bright young men their lives for your foul schemes."
[23:07] * Kiraya_Liyos flows back up into her human form once more "Foul schemes? Is that what peyeta told you? That I viciously turned down the offer to become his pampered little hostage and watch him destroy everything I ever cared about!?!" 6Kiraya stamps her foot. "No. I don't care what he told you. He's making it up to cover his own crimes."
[23:10] <Kiraya_Liyos> "I'm leaving. If you're really that concerned about these bright young men, you can just watch me walk away and never come back."
[23:11] * Kiraya_Liyos starts walking towards the nearest gap in the line
[23:11] <MaidInvictus> They exchange a look, then turn back to you. "… we aren't here because of Peyeta complaining. We're here because of an Anathema. The magistrate only alerted us to it." They draw their weapons, and signal their men. "If only it didn't have to be this way. Your father will be devastated." The mortals ready their arrows, then there's three loud bangs — and three of the mortals drop…
[23:11] <MaidInvictus> …dead, smoking holes in their foreheads.
[23:12] <MaidInvictus> As you turn to leave, you see the man from earlier there, holding a smoking artifact that seems to be the cause of the newly dead mortals.
[23:15] * Kiraya_Liyos breaks into a run for her savior
[23:18] <Kiraya_Liyos> "If you've got a plan now's the time!"
[23:19] <MaidInvictus> He covers your advance — two more mortals fall in as many shots, and the two immaculates seem a bit wary about approaching. And for good reason… One Fang holsters his repeaters, and moves you gently behind him. "It was a good hunt, youngling. I'm afraid I'm out of bullets, though." With that, he vanishes, like the wind. The two immaculates look surprised, but they quickly regain…
[23:19] <MaidInvictus> …their composure and start to close in!
[23:21] <MaidInvictus> (also you can perception + awareness if you want something fun~)
[23:21] <Kiraya_Liyos> roll !e5 I see nothing
[23:21] <Xomko> Exalt Kiraya_Liyos rolled 1 success : [9, 6, 5, 3, 1]
[23:22] * Andrea_Schaeffer is now known as Orrin
[23:23] * Rosario_Scaglietti is now known as Thoon
[23:23] <MaidInvictus> You see just enough. Your new friend hasn't abandoned you — he's just turned into a grasshopper. Literally. He's lying in wait for the two monks to get closer…
[23:25] <Kiraya_Liyos> "But we had a-" Kiraya snarls, and points at the two monks. "Fine. Come and get me. But first, how about you tell me why everyone knows where and what I'm going to be before I do tonight?"
[23:27] <MaidInvictus> "We haven't anything to say to a demon! This is the end, for you!" They both rush at you, even the one with the bow who is blatantly intended to be a wood dragon user and therefore a ranged fighter. They must be really overconfident. In any case, the second they'd be close enoug hto hit you, there's a massive rumbling, and they're flung into the sky by the sudden existence of a Tyrant…
[23:27] <MaidInvictus> …Lizard where there used to be a grasshopper, roaring its displeasure to the woods. And probably scaring the -shit- out of the villages for a pretty good radius.
[23:34] <MaidInvictus> After a few moments, the Tyrant Lizard turns back into the weird lunar, whose empty circle caste mark is burning brightly on his forehead. He turns to you and looks you over, grinning. "Scared ya, did I? Are you alright, though? No injuries?"
[23:35] * Kiraya_Liyos laughs, and claps the lizard on the ankle, then turns to the archers. 1"Now the rest of you! Back off! My offer to them still stands! I walk away, you walk away, and no one gets hurt!"
[23:36] <Kiraya_Liyos> roll !e10 cha+presence intimidate, excellencied for 2, if it matters.
[23:36] <Xomko> Exalt Kiraya_Liyos rolled 2 success : [9, 7, 6, 6, 5, 4, 2, 2, 1, 1]
[23:37] <MaidInvictus> Oh, absolutely easy to do. They were just about ready to run anyway, and your extra urging sends them off. They definitely didn't wanna stick around.
[23:38] * Kiraya_Liyos plasters on a fake smile and does a creditable job hiding the shakes. 1"Sure. No problem. I see people turn into giant lizards all the time."
[23:40] <MaidInvictus> He nods. "Aye, me too. It's fun. Looks like you passed my test, though — I'm One Fang Shy." He grins, and you can easily see where he got his name.
[23:42] <Kiraya_Liyos> "Uh… Kiraya. Can all of luna's… whatever we ares do that?"
[23:43] <MaidInvictus> "Of course. Shapeshifting is our right — we take the forms of that which we desire… like you did with that…" He looks down at the corpse. "… farm dog. Really?"
[23:45] <Kiraya_Liyos> "You said find an animal. I wasn't going to run all over these woods looking for a grizzly or a clawstrider or a yeddim or whatever else seems big and scary enough." She rubs her forehead, and thinks. "I probably should have tried for an owl, though. Then I could have just flown away from them."
[23:46] <MaidInvictus> He nods thoughtfully. "Aye, but you would rather have fought them, right?"
[23:50] * Kiraya_Liyos smacks a fist into her palm. "If it was just one of 'em, I think I could have taken him, but he had to bring all those other people too."
[23:51] <Kiraya_Liyos> "And, y'know, I don't want to kill anybody if I can avoid it."
[23:51] * Kiraya_Liyos glances at the dead soldiers, and looks a bit green around the scales.
[23:52] <MaidInvictus> He nods. "Then, I think I know what to do. To keep good on my promise, I think you should travel with me for a while. Once I've taught ya how to survive on your own, I'll let you go. Yeah?"
[23:55] <Kiraya_Liyos> "Yeah. I'm gonna need to think about this."
[23:58] <MaidInvictus> "Oh… and I'm gonna need you to take your shirt off!"
[23:58] <MaidInvictus> (And I'm gonna close it there because my humor is the best and everything I do is perfect and flawless. Unless there's more you majorly wanna do.)
Session Time: Sun Nov 09 00:00:00 2014
[00:00] * Kiraya_Liyos blushes crimson, glares at him, then smirks. 1"You certainly are sure of yourself. The village boys at least buy me a couple drinks before trying anything that blatant."
[00:01] <Kiraya_Liyos> ((aaaaaand scene!))